Murakoze & Giving Thanks

November, 2019

We probably say thank you to people over 10 times a day. When we buy something from a store, when a door is opened for us, when we get a compliment, get off a bus or are welcomed into a home. Most of my emails are signed off with a quick “thank you” and as the day goes on I say these words another 5 times until I’m back in my apartment. I have been conditioned to say “thank you” for the big and the small, and never think too deeply about these words until Thanksgiving rolls along each year.

Growing up with two British parents, you would think that Thanksgiving wouldn’t be a big deal at the Samad house, but quite the contrary. Thanksgiving is the event of the season, an all time banger and the holiday that we all wait anxiously for. It’s a time that we come together from our busy schedules, parents, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles and granny to appreciate each other and the things we are grateful for. Cocktails are flowing and as my cousin is a chef, we always know that we will be rolling home at the end of the night, stuffed and satisfied. One year even a Turducken was involved.... yes, a chicken cooked inside a duck, cooked inside a turkey....and yes, I still dream about it. As I said before, when it comes to Thanksgiving, Samad’s don’t mess around.

This year however, was the first time in my life that I didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Living abroad and far from my family and friends has been an incredible adventure and period of growth but I won’t lie and say that its always easy. When I moved to Israel I felt the distance and it was hard to miss important landmarks in peoples lives but I immediately made friends that felt like family. In Rwanda, between the beauty, vibrant culture and amazing people, there are many cultural differences and challenges that can leave you feeling like you are on an emotional rollercoaster. On the day of Thanksgiving, I was riding that rollercoaster and feeling a little bummed that my family would all be together laughing and eating their hearts out. I spent the day at work going through the motions ( of course, no Black Friday in Rwanda!) and left that evening feeling the weight on me. I decided it would be better to go to my “Gym Tonic” aerobics class instead of my empty apartment to blow off some steam.

As I mentioned in my other blog, the Gym Tonic class is hilarious and always puts me in a good mood and today was no different. There I was, jogging in a circle of strangers, sweating PROFUSELY, when a song came on that got everyone excited. I was the only foreigner in the class, and as usual, didn’t really understand what was going on but the group started singing out loud, smiling and laughing as we continued to jog in place. What felt like hell a minute before (we were jogging for 15 minutes straight) immediately became fun as people began punching the air and pushing each other to keep going. And what we’re the lyrics that got people so excited? The song was a repeat of the word “murakoze”, which in Rwanda’s local language means “thank you”. No one knew that it was Thanksgiving, let alone what Thanksgiving was but as I continued to jog in that tight circle of strangers I looked around and felt a wave of gratitude wash over me. I may not be home and it may not always be easy but as the group continued to chant, “murakoze, murakoze”, I let go of the weight I was holding, raised my voice and joined them.